1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cluster tool for the implementing of a clustered and integrated surface pre-cleaning of the surface of semiconductor devices. More particularly, the invention is directed to the provision of a cluster tool and to a method of utilization thereof in an integrated semiconductor device surface pre-cleaning, which is directed towards a manufacturing aspect in which a chamber for performing a dry processing chemical oxide removal (COR) on the semiconductor device surface is clustered with other tools, such as a metal deposition tool for silicide or contact formation, including the provision of a vacuum transfer module in the cluster tool.
Extensive experimentation and physical applications have been implemented in connection with the preparation of surfaces of semiconductor devices for the formation of silicide and metal contacts, employing so called cluster tools wherein, in particular, in order to effectuate the removal of surface films and thin layers of oxides, there are provided advantages in contrast with conventional wet etch based process flows.
Pursuant to the current state-of-the-art, which is concerned with various technical and economic aspects of semiconductor processing and manufacture, in order to fulfill a need for small or miniaturized geometries and improved performance characteristics, the contact module has attained an increased significance as an important element of chip yield and semiconductor device performance. For instance, in the currently employed 65 nm and 45 nm technologies, the requirements for a high-strength and low-resistance electrical path which make contact to the semiconductor device, are criteria which define limitations in the performance of the device.
Thus, in order to address the problems which are encountered by such performance limitations, consideration can be applied to techniques involving the applicability of chemical oxide removal (COR) based processes to the removal of deleterious surface oxides on the semiconductor surfaces which may present an impediment to the enabling of a good ohmic contact to semiconductor devices. In this connection, the presence of oxygen interfaces and oxygen contamination are serious problems encountered in contact module formulations and may result in significant performance and yield losses in advanced technology nodes.
To a significant extent, this problem has been addressed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,184,132 B1 and 5,282,925; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2001/0001298 A1, all of which are commonly assigned to the assignee of this application, and the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entireties; and wherein U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,925 is discussed in further detail in connection with the present invention.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Pyo, et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0092101 A1, discloses a Cu-thin film deposition equipment for a semiconductor device, which is intended to improve the speed of depositing a Cu-thin film, and resultingly lowering the corresponding manufacturing costs. Although there is provided a load lock for carrying out the film deposition steps before and after wafer processes, and wherein an aligner effectuates alignments so that a wafer reaches a desired position, a degassing chamber removes residue, such as gas produced on the surface of a wafer, whereas a feeding chamber is provided with a robot placing the wafer into and out of each chamber. There is no disclosure or suggestion of providing for a dry processing method comprising a chemical oxide removal (COR) of a surface film in a cluster tool, as in the present invention so as to provide for surface preparation for silicide and metal contacts on semiconductor devices.
Bae, et al., U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0162742 A1, describes a cluster tool for forming semiconductor devices using a wafer process including at least one load port at which wafers are loaded and wherein a front end system uses an ATM (atmosphere) robot and ATM aligner. There is no disclosure of employing a vacuum transfer system and cluster tool for chemical oxide removal, nor a dry processing operation to prepare a surface of a semiconductor device for silicide or metal contacts, as in the present invention.
Yoo, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0144904, discloses a processing system and related method for vacuum evaporation of a material layer or film on a substrate. However, although there is provision made for a series of pumps for selecting processing pressure levels without the need for lowering the pressure to deep vacuum pressure conditions, there is no disclosure of a dry processing chamber to provide for chemical oxide removal (COR), which is clustered with other tools, so as to prepare a clustered surface for silicide or metal contact formation on a semiconductor device.
Kobayashi, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,874 B2 discloses a processing method and apparatus for removing oxide films from a surface of an object which is to be treated through the intermediary of various gas treatments. However, there is no disclosure of a cluster tool and method utilizing a dry processing chamber for chemical oxide removal, including a metal deposition tool with a vacuum transfer module pursuant to the present invention, adapted to prepare a surface for silicide or metal contact formation.
Similarly, Lee, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,340 B2 and Gilboa, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,120 B1 disclose various pre-treatment methods for semiconductor wafers, and for subsequent processing, including transfer chambers and pluralities of vacuum conditions for removing native oxide films from the surface of a subject, such as cluster type wafers or the like. However, there is no description of a clustered surface preparation for silicide and metal films to form contacts in a dry process pre-cleaning (COR) operation using a clustered tool providing chemical oxide removal chambers and metal deposition chambers in conjunction with vacuum transfer chambers and load lock cluster arrangements, as is described by the present invention.